Subject:Re: Commodore Vic-20 Commerical

Subject:Re: Commodore Vic-20 Commerical

Written By:whistledogon10/06/08 at 6:47 pm

The Vic-20 was the first video game/computer system I ever owned. I still have it with the tape deck and all the game cartridges I had for it back in the day, but the connector to the TV portion is broke, so I cannot play it :(

Subject:Re: Commodore Vic-20 Commerical

Written By:Foo Baron10/06/08 at 11:23 pm

The Vic-20 was the first video game/computer system I ever owned. I still have it with the tape deck and all the game cartridges I had for it back in the day, but the connector to the TV portion is broke, so I cannot play it :(

Define "broke". Almost all hardware of that vintage can be fixed with nothing more than a screwdriver, a $10 Radio Shack soldering iron, and $0.01 out of a $5 roll of solder. (If you're very unlucky, add $1.00 for a new connector if the physical damage was severe enough that you can't physically plug a cable into it.)

Subject:Re: Commodore Vic-20 Commerical

Written By:whistledogon10/06/08 at 11:36 pm

Define "broke". Almost all hardware of that vintage can be fixed with nothing more than a screwdriver, a $10 Radio Shack soldering iron, and $0.01 out of a $5 roll of solder. (If you're very unlucky, add $1.00 for a new connector if the physical damage was severe enough that you can't physically plug a cable into it.)

The Vic-20 required a black extension cable that connected from the keyboard to the TV/Computer switch that plugged into the TV. The former is the piece that broke, and I was unable to try and fix it, so I keep my eyes open at flea markets, thrift stores for just such a cable.

One day I will successfully get my Vic-20 working again 8)

Subject:Re: Commodore Vic-20 Commerical

Written By:Foo Baron10/07/08 at 12:25 am

The Vic-20 required a black extension cable that connected from the keyboard to the TV/Computer switch that plugged into the TV. The former is the piece that broke, and I was unable to try and fix it, so I keep my eyes open at flea markets, thrift stores for just such a cable.

One day I will successfully get my Vic-20 working again 8)

The cable itself got cut? Or the connector on the Vic-20? Or the connector on either end of the cable? (For a good time, take a look at the back of the Vic-20, and google the word "pinouts", and check out places like digikey.com or jameco.com. Even if we ignore eBay, all of the parts required to build such a cable are commercially available, either online, or at the nearest electronics surplus store.)

Subject:Re: Commodore Vic-20 Commerical

Written By:whistledogon10/07/08 at 1:18 am

The cable itself got cut? Or the connector on the Vic-20? Or the connector on either end of the cable? (For a good time, take a look at the back of the Vic-20, and google the word "pinouts", and check out places like digikey.com or jameco.com. Even if we ignore eBay, all of the parts required to build such a cable are commercially available, either online, or at the nearest electronics surplus store.)

The connector that connects to the Vic-20. Long and black with a box on the end with an on/off switch. I could go through the motions to try and fix it, but I figure I'll wait until I find one at a used store or flea market. Through stores like that, I was able to obtain the parts required to get my Atari 7800 working again